At Windmill Orchards, our organic plums bring a wonderful burst of colour and flavour to the orchard each summer. We grow three carefully selected varieties—Victoria, Opal, and Marjorie’s Seedling—each with its own distinctive character. Victoria plums are a classic favourite, known for their sweet flavour and beautiful red-purple skin. Opal plums ripen earlier in the season, offering juicy flesh and a rich, aromatic taste. Later in the harvest, Marjorie’s Seedling produces larger fruits with a deep flavour that is perfect for both fresh eating and cooking. Grown organically in our orchards, these plums reflect the vibrant variety and natural abundance of the summer harvest
Victoria is the most widely grown plum variety in the UK and one of the most popular fruit trees found in British gardens. Introduced in the 1840s during the Victorian era, it quickly became a favourite thanks to its heavy crops, attractive fruit, and reliable performance. The variety is especially valued for its versatility, producing plums that can be enjoyed fresh when fully ripe or used in a wide range of traditional cooked dishes.
Opal is an early-season plum known for its excellent flavour, sometimes described as similar to that of a gage plum. It is widely appreciated for producing high-quality fruit early in the season and is considered one of the best-flavoured early plum varieties. The fruit develops its best flavour when grown in a sunny position where the sugars can fully develop.
Marjorie’s Seedling is a well-known late-season European plum and the main commercial plum variety sold in UK supermarkets toward the end of the season. It is valued for its reliability and versatility, producing large attractive fruit that can be used both for cooking and for eating fresh when fully ripe. Because it ripens late in the season, it provides fresh plums at a time when few other varieties are available.